Sermons, ramblings, and maybe an occasional rant from a Lutheran subject of Jesus Christ.

Sunday, December 14, 2014

Sermon -- 3rd Sunday of Advent (December 14, 2014)

LUKE 3:7-18

PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD WITH FRUITS OF REPENTANCE.

In
the name + of Jesus.

As pilgrims traveling to and from the festivals in Jerusalem, they would have heard a fiery
preacher. John the Baptist was in the
wilderness by the Jordan,
calling everyone to repentance in stern and even violent terms. “You brood of vipers! Who warned
you to flee from the wrath to come?…
Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good
fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Luke 3:7,9)

Remember that John was not preaching to unabashed heathen. John preached to Israelites, sons of the
covenant who were attending the Lord’s prescribed festivals. John called these people a brood of vipers,
offspring of Satan. John warned these
church-going people that the ax was ready to swing on them and that the fires
were being stoked for them unless they would repent.

St. Peter preaches a similar message to
you and me. He declares: For it is time for
judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us,
what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what
will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” (1 Peter 4:17-18) Just as being children of Abraham did not
save the Israelites, neither will a confirmation certificate save you. Do not get comfortable, thinking that we can
mindlessly coast on our way into Paradise. The Lord judges his own first. The Lord still seeks fruits of repentance
from us. Even the wicked expect as
much. If you bear the name “Christian,”
the wicked expect your lives to reflect that.
And they are right. You are
expected to be righteous, and you should expect it of yourself as well. Therefore, we do well to examine ourselves
and prune from our lives whatever is sinful.
Prepare the way of the Lord with fruits of repentance.

Rather than write John the Baptist off as a nut-job, the people were cut
to the heart by John’s preaching. They
felt God’s fiery judgment. Though they
may have been religious, they were still sinners and they knew it. One by one, groups of people begged to know:
“What should we do?”

Each group was more surprising than the last. After the general crowds came the tax
collectors. You could imagine the crowds
thinking, “You thieves? You think there
is hope for you?!” John did not tell the
tax collectors to quit their jobs; he told them to quit being thieves. Then Roman soldiers asked, “And we, what
shall we do?” At least the tax
collectors were fellow Jews. They may
have been slimy, but they were at least sons of the covenant. But Roman soldiers? Surely there was no hope and no place for
them! John the Baptist did not tell them
to quit being Roman or soldiers; he told them to quit being thugs. Never look upon someone else and think that
there is no place or no hope for them. Nor
look upon your own sins and think that you are too wicked for the kingdom of God.
As despicable as anyone might seem, to the Lord Jesus all are people for
whom he came to suffer and die. All are
called to repent. Prepare the way of the
Lord with fruits of repentance.

The
crowds asked him, “What then shall we do?”And
he answered them, “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none,
and whoever has food is to do likewise.”Tax collectors also came to be baptized
and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”And he said to them, “Collect no more
than you are authorized to do.”Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what
shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do
not extort money from anyone by threats or by false accusation, and be content
with your wages.” (Luke 3:10-14)

When John told the people to repent, he did not tell them to quit their
jobs and move into the desert. They were
not commanded to abandon their families or their communities. They were told to go home. They were called to quit their sins and to
love their neighbors. If you will be a
tax collector, be an honest tax collector.
If you will be a soldier, be a noble soldier. If you will be a father or mother, then serve
your children with love and nurture them with discipline. If you will be an employee, then show up on
time and put in an honest day’s work. If
you will open your mouth, then be sure what comes out of it is kind and true. The Lord does not ask you to leave the world,
but to serve faithfully, diligently, and honestly in it. The fruits of your repentance are borne in
whatever task God has given you to do. Put
away sins and all excuses for them. Devote
yourself to what God declares to be good and right. Prepare the way of the Lord with fruits of
repentance.

So with many
other exhortations he preached good news to the people. (Luke 3:18) John’s message does not sound like much good
news. We know that we should repent of
our sins and not return to them. Yet, we
have never stopped sinning—not even when the threat of hellfire is
presented. Such is the sinful
nature. There is no good news in this.

John’s job was to prepare the way for the
Lord. John’s preaching makes it clear
that you need this Savior. If you do not
care about your sin and guilt, you will not care to be saved from them. All your efforts to root out sin only show
you how bad your condition is. This is
why John warns that the blade of the ax is sharp and that the fires of judgment
are burning. The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom, and it is wise to take the Lord seriously and to fear his
wrath.

But
fearing God’s wrath does not take away your sins. It only shows that you need to be saved from
them. John prepares the way for
salvation; but Jesus IS the way for salvation.
Jesus comes to deliver you from your sins and to work true repentance in
you. Jesus first delivers you from the
curse so that the ax will not come down upon you. Jesus has taken the blow in your place,
suffering and dying for you. Jesus has spared
you from the wrath of God because God’s wrath was poured upon Jesus in your
place. He is the Lamb of God who was
roasted in the fires of hell in your place.
He let death consume him before he consumed death by his
resurrection.

Jesus has saved you from sin so that sin
no longer owns or damns you. Jesus also
has worked repentance in you so that you will never be owned by sin again. He baptizes you with the Holy Spirit and with
fire. Jesus has driven out the unclean
spirit in you and grants you his Holy Spirit in its place. He creates in you a clean heart and gives you
a right spirit. He has converted you so
that you are in agreement with God. You
acknowledge that your sins are evil because God has assessed them to be
so. The Lord also baptizes you with
fire, refining you like gold. He
continues to purge your sins from you.
He has you bear a cross so that you put your sins to death. Even though you still commit sins, you are
frustrated and disgusted with yourself for them. This is good, for then you stop taking pride
in how good you have been, and you are compelled to rely on Jesus alone to save
you. This is good; for salvation comes
only through Jesus.

Prepare the way of the Lord with fruits of
repentance. What should we do? John the Baptist tells you. Serve the Lord and your neighbor with lives
and words and thoughts which are both wholesome and helpful. But be sure you notice where John is
pointing—to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is the one who works in you to will and
to do the works of God. Jesus promises, “Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it
is that bears much fruit.” (John 15:5)
Jesus cleanses you from all wickedness, and Jesus works all good within
you. Jesus is your salvation.

In the name of the Father and of the Son +
and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.